Mark A.

Beirdneau Oral History Project

Interview with Mark Beirdneau, some comments from Angela
Beirdneau
Date of Interview: Saturday November 14, 2015; Phone Interview
Interview: Craig Beirdneau
Transcriber: Craig Beirdneau
Craig:

This is Mark Beirdneau Oral History Project with Mark

Beirdneau in St. George, Utah and myself in Provo, Utah
on November 14. The interviewer is Craig Beirdneau from
Brigham Young University.

Craig:

What was the most vivid thing you remember from the
Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s?

Mark:

It seemed like African Americans had a cause to protest

and I remember Martin Luther King Jr. being a very
genuine individual who was trying to stand up for the
black people at the time. The TV was very important and
big for us and I remember seeing the protests and the
movements all the time and watching them all the time.

Craig:

How did watching it on TV help tie things together for

you about what was happening during this time?

Mark:

Well when I went and visited JFK presidential library

it was cool to see a lot of the things that happened
during that period and tied things together for me.
John F. Kennedy was president and my mom really liked
JFK and talked about him all the time. As a kid growing
up I remember watching the news because TV was pretty
big. I would see the different protests and all the

major events taking place. We would either watch them

going on in school or at home. We knew what was going
on and we didnt think it was right. How they were
being treated. We didnt understand why people would be
treated differently.
Craig:

What did your parents tell you about the issues that
were taking place?

Mark:

We talked about it more in school; my parents didnt

really talk too much about it. But I remember thinking
it was not fair what was happening to the black people
at the time. I didnt think it was right how they were
being treated and the racism that was happening.

Craig:

What was the civil rights situation like around town?

Mark:

Where we lived there were no black people so I didnt

see them and didnt really see the problem around
school or anything when I was younger. But when I got
into high school there were a lot more black friends.

Craig:

Where were you living at the time?

Mark:

We were living in Beaverton, Oregon

Craig:

What thoughts were you forming about the civil rights

movement?

Mark:

I supported what they were doing to try and bring about

their civil rights, I think umm I had a couple black
friends in high school. I liked them, I didnt think

there was anything wrong with them. I didnt think they

should be segregated.
Craig:

What were the feelings like in your home towards the

movement?

Mark:

Growing up in my home we didnt have any negative

feelings towards black people. I think my grandmother
did but we didnt. We didnt really know that many
black people. I had a couple friends in school and they
were ok so I didnt have any problem with them. I
supported the changes that needed to take place.

Craig:

Did you ever talk to your black friends about the

issues?

Mark:

I never really talked to my black friends about the

situation. But we did talk about it in high school and
they would show us the different movies with the big
events that took place. Our school was pretty good
about the whole thing and handled it pretty well.

Angela:

(Mom interjects from the background listening to the

interview. Will not be her first interjection) I had a
lot of black friends in high school.

Mark:

Your mom had a lot of black friends in high school.

Angela:

My dad would bring them over all the time but my mom
was prejudice towards them. She would be tolerable when
they would come over because her dad liked them and
liked associating with them.

Mark:

Your moms mom was paranoid about black people. She

would always say you cant trust them because they will
lie to you. They will lie to you.

Craig:

(Chuckle) Well great. What were the thoughts with the

church and the civil rights movement at the time? What
was your perspective on it?

Mark:

What is interesting is when the announcement came that

blacks could hold the priesthood. I thought that it was
great, it was good news. I wondered why they didnt
already have it, as I am sure a lot of people at the
time were thinking, but I thought it was good and glad
to see it happen.

Craig:

What is your perspective looking back on the civil

rights movement now?

Mark:

My perspective is that the civil rights movement

changed a lot of stuff and helped the situation yes.
But there is still a lot of deep rooted anti-black
feelings. Its not like you are going to be able to
change those feelings right.

Craig:

Keep going.

Mark:

Well after that was passed, it made it a little better

for them, and then the end of segregation made it
better for them, but I think a lot of those feelings
still existed. I think things were going along really
good until Obama took office and he has revived the

race problem in the United States. He is causing

problems now with the way that he is stirring up the
black people and the black lives matter movement. There
is probably a lot of anti-black feelings now again.
Craig:

Did you see any of these feelings exist growing up?

Mark:

Not at my school.

Angela:

(Interjection) Well not at my school. All of the kids

hated black people in my high school.

Mark:

Your mom tried to be friends with them and stand up for

them.

Mark:

It wasnt really bad like how it was down in the south

obviously but there was still some resentments.

Craig:

What would you have done if you were living in the

south?

Mark:

If I was living down in the south I would have marched

with the black people. I didnt think it was right how
they were being treated.

Craig:

People are still saying there is a big problem right

now. What do you think about the problem now vs. the
problem back then?

Mark:

There is quite a big difference between the civil

rights movement in the 60s and the black lives matters
movement going on now. In the 60s it was much more
peaceful and they werent rioting and shooting

policeman and doing all of that. They were just trying

to say we want and need these rights and they were
doing it in a peaceful way.
Craig:

Did you think the government was helping the situation?

Mark:

One thing I would say is that we both really liked JFK,

my family liked him even though he was a democrat. He
was the last good democrat who was elected. Just like
Reagan was the last good republican elected. JFK had
issues still but we all thought he was a great
president. We didnt like his family because they were
bootleggers and into all the prostitution. My mission
president would talk to us about him all the time and
how he didnt like his family.

Craig:

What about President Johnson? Do you think he helped?

Mark:

Lyndon B. Johnson was a maniac and he caused a lot of

problems in the US. It was because the way that he
handled the war at Vietnam and the way that he
escalated the war on poverty and started the welfare
program and what we know of it today. He did it with
the intention of getting all the blacks on welfare so
that they would be voting democrat forever and ever. He
didnt really help people he just kept them dependent.

Craig:

So you dont think there is a race problem in the

United States right now?

Mark:

It wasnt the same kind of problem that happened back

then. The feelings back then were so much stronger and

they felt like black people were lower than them. But I
think after the civil rights movement and after they
got educated a lot of that went away and I think there
are opportunities for everybody. I think because of the
decisiveness of our president he has created these
anti-black feelings again. I dont think there is the
same issue as before but the black lives matter people
are out of control and they need to be stopped. Here we
have a black president and he hasnt done anything to
help these people. He hasnt ended or looked into the
solutions to help the black people. He has divided the
country. The country is very divided now, not so much
as white vs. black but liberal vs. conservative.
Craig:

But the black lives movement right now is saying they

are being treated poorly again.

Mark:

It is not the same issue as it was back then so no. I

dont think there should be any kind of inhumane
treatment to any class of people or be treated in a
negative manner. Even the gay people. I dont think we
should treat them mean. Everybody deserves to be able
to live their life and pursuit their dreams and goals
and no one should be mean to anybody.

Craig:

So if people are saying they are being treated poorly

you would support them and support changes to help
them?

Mark:

So if there were people that were being treated poorly

I would support them yes.

Craig:

They say they are being treated poorly

Mark:

Well they are not. The way they rioted in Ferguson and
Baltimore and shows that those people are out of
control. That is not what the civil rights movement is
all about. It is not about killing people and causing
problems. They did not do that and they do not advocate
the support of killing white police officers like they
do now. I would not align myself with that group today
no.

Craig:

So you think there is a difference today compared to

what they were doing back then?

Mark:

Yes.